12 posts tagged “ny”

For years, my Scandinavian Holy Trinity has been set in stone: Jens Lekman, Sondre Lerche, and Erlend Øye. These three men embody everything I love about Nordic pop: catchy melodies, depressing lyrics, and above all, debonair looks (in a lanky, pale, probably-got-beat-up-after-school kind of way). But after last night, I may have to add another Swede to that equation: Emil Svanängen, a.k.a. Loney, Dear.

I had previously seen Loney, Dear (Yes, it’s “Loney,” not “Lonely.” Sorry, Spellcheck.) at Soundfix Lounge, a far more smaller, intimate venue. It was a lovely show, but I wondered if it would translate well into the much bigger Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Lia Ices at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (05/05/09) ♥ photo by Laura Loney Dear at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (05/05/09) ♥ photo by Laura Loney Dear at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (05/05/09) ♥ photo by Laura

Things started off slowly with opener, Lia Ices. Her gradual but fierce, piano-centric ballads reminded me of slightly more subdued Frida Hyvönen. In a way, her sparse instrumentation and morose lyrics set the mood for the rest of the night. The audience remained politely quiet through most of her set, as Ices maintained an enchanting, often hypnotic stage presence. The whole girl-with-a-keyboard outfit has been done several times before, but there’s something strangely haunting about Ices that sets her apart from other singer-songwriters.

The solemn mood was somewhat lifted when Loney Dear took the stage, opening with the steady-building track, “I Was Only Going Out,” from his latest release, Dear John. Several other songs followed a similar format, and in the larger setting with his full band, the tracks were able to flourish into lush, sweeping mini-symphonies.

Svanängen’s band (which included a keyboardist who eerily resembled a somber Andy Samberg) contributed greatly to the “bigger” sound not usually associated with Loney Dear’s brand of thoughtful pop. Whether it was the more electronic tracks from Dear John or the earlier, orchestral tracks from Loney Noir and Sologne, the band added an exciting, almost urgent edge to Svanängen’s confessional lyrics.

Loney Dear - Airport Surroundings Loney Dear 1 comment Tour Dates 05/08/09 Rivoli Toronto, ON 05/09/09 Schuba’s Tavern Chicago, IL 05/10/09 Cedar Cultural Minneapolis, MN 05/13/09 Crocodile Café Seattle, WA 05/14/09 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR 05/15/09 Bottom of the Hill SF, CA 05/16/09 Spaceland Los Angeles, CA 05/17/09 UCSD San Diego, CA See Also Jens Lekman http://weheartmus... I'm not gonna claim to have the most macho music collection in the world---nay, my playlists are ...

My initial concern of Loney Dear’s quiet demeanor clashing with a larger venue was quickly put to rest. Svanängen has a knack for endearing and warmly funny stage banter, and within moments, the audience was smitten. He even managed to pull of the impossible: an audience sing-along that was not completely awful. Choosing the simple na-na-na-na chorus from “The Meter Marks OK,” Svanängen led the audience like a junior high choir teacher. Considering that the crowd that night mostly consisted of PBR-slinging, hipper-than-thou Brooklynites – it was quite a feat.

Of course, none of it would have been possible without Svanängen’s unassuming and shyly charismatic personality. Whether it was through his heartfelt lyrics or random witticisms, he gave off an immediate sense of likability. It is somewhat telling that the two grown men (both in vaguely corporate attire) behind me had the following conversation midway through the set:

Guy #1: I haven’t been this happy since I was a kid.
Guy #2: This is just beautiful. Beautiful.
Guy #1: I know. I just want to… touch him.

I know how you feel, Guy #1. And just when Svanängen couldn’t get any sweeter, he ended the show with the fitting track, “Dear John.” With just him and his guitar on stage, he sang, “Sleep well, tonight. Sleep while you can.” It was a beautiful ending to an intimate and charming show. So charming, in fact, that Jens, Sondre, and Erlend may have to watch their backs.

The Wooden Birds, Andrew Kenny’s latest project, is a reflection of his move from Brooklyn, New York back to his hometown of Austin, Texas. The two cities have quite a bit in common (laid back atmospheres, blogworthy music scenes, skinny jeans galore), but the differences are palpable on the Wooden Birds’ mellow debut, Magnolia.

Kenny subtracted the signature synths and electronic beats from his former band, American Analog Set, and added rhythmic percussions, an acoustic guitar, and backing female vocals provided by Ola Podrida. Like Kenny’s hometown, the songs on Magnolia are laid-back and tranquil – but with a steady energy that pulses like a heartbeat.

With the simple instrumentation, focus is drawn to Kenny’s quivery vocals and intricate lyrics. The Ben Gibbard comparisons are obvious (they once split an EP together), but Kenny sets himself apart by eschewing pop hooks for intense, prose-like verses that provide quiet, melancholy insight. On the slightly more upbeat track, “The Other One,” Kenny seamlessly tells the tale of a brother with a “journal with the saddest words / that you ever heard,” weaving a thoughtful character study of a detached family.

Kenny’s attention to detail stands out on several character-centered tracks, such “Seven Seventeen,” where he continually laments over the fact that “she was seven when I was seventeen.” Small but specific details scattered throughout Magnolia such as “kissing bike tires,” “makeshift rafts,” and “mom’s Indian rug” emphasize Kenny’s return to Austin. On “Hometown Fantasy,” the simply maracas and acoustic guitar are an ideal soundtrack to any idyllic front porch conversation.

With such a peaceful ambiance, it’s inevitable that some of the slower songs suffer from the “sameness” stigma. It can sound condescending writing off certain albums as “background music,” but in The Wooden Birds’ case, it’s hardly an insult. The album would certainly compliment a drive down South Congress or a lazy afternoon at Barton Springs. But even if you’re miles away from Texas, Magnolia will leave you nostalgic for somewhere warmer, somewhere quiet.

Calvin Johnson is many things: founder of K Records, twee patron saint, notorious baritone… and spastic dance machine?

Yes, Calvin Johnson’s dance moves were front and center at 92YTribeca, where he unveiled his latest project, The Hive Dwellers. Fusing the stark catchiness of his influential band, Beat Happening, and the rock sensibility of his other influential band, The Halo Benders, The Hive Dwellers put on a hypnotizing set Friday night before a crowd of K Recs disciples and cardigan-clad pop fans. (Of which I admit to being both, but I refused to wear a cardigan to this gig. Too easy.)

Fred Thomas, of Saturday Looked Good to Me, opened as City Center: a one-man outfit with a microphone and a synthesizer. The mostly instrumental set was largely ignored by the audience, who seemed to be more concerned with the impending presence of Calvin and the tiny hope that he might play “Indian Summer,” the twee-equivalent to “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” (He did not.)

Half an hour later, Calvin appeared, wearing his familiar uniform of a too-tight, too-small shirt. As this was the Hive Dwellers debut performance, none of the songs had titles yet, but this was of little concern to audience, who were too enthralled by Calvin’s erratic dancing to notice.

Compared to Calvin’s past work, The Hive Dwellers are much more fleshed out, with a bass player, synthesizer/keyboard, guitars, and City Center Fred on drums. Not to mention the mouth organ, acoustic guitar, and maracas Calvin occasionally whipped out between dance moves. As always, Calvin’s deep baritone was impossible to ignore as he rhapsodized about sitting alone in movie theaters and building pinewood coffins – typical subject matter in his case. He continued to charm the audience with his sardonic stage banter, in which he compared Manhattan to the Vatican and extolled the virtues of midriff-bearing t-shirts.

The Hive Dwellers ended on an exceptionally high note, finally plugging in the electric guitar that had been sitting in the corner throughout the whole show. (Too bad it also drowned out most of the vocals.) Though Calvin’s lyrics were unintelligible, his enthusiasm was evident –of course—through his frantic dancing.

Surprisingly, they were not the last act of the night. That honor went to Ian Svenonius’ latest project, Chain and the Gang. Unfortunately I had a midnight birthday party to attend and had to opt out of seeing them. Despite this, I left happy. I had just witnessed Calvin Johnson do suggestive things to a pair of maracas. What more could I want?

Big Blue Moon plays like the soundtrack to a gentle romantic drama, one with minimal daylight scenes and lots of long, winding walks past ivy-covered Brownstones and quaint Mom & Pop cafés.  It’s New York City, shot through the lenses of a poet, where the daily grime is tucked away in shadows and loneliness is as beautiful as a street-lit silhouette.  I was reminded of the film My Blueberry Nights, which begins in New York but follows the main character as she moves across the country and eventually returns to the small Manhattan diner that initially drew her in.  Jazz accompanies her journey, a fitting musical choice as the wayfaring heroine is played by Norah Jones.  Similarly, Tolar channels Jones’s calm, light-but-not-lite sensibility, which explains why this style of music complements the visual narrative of film—its simple elegance is understated without seeming obtuse.

Tolar is a self-described “Southwestern girl living in Brooklyn,” a transplant from Colorado by way of California, raised on folk legends like Carole King and the downcast country blues of Johnny Cash.  It’s fitting then that Moon addresses issues of displacement (a theme that Tolar cites in her bio); there’s an overwhelming connection with “home,” both geographically (“Colorado calls me home underneath a big blue moon,” from the title track) and as a symbol of romantic contentment (“Somethin’ in your words brings me home when I am lost,” “Somethin’”).  Despite an obvious attention to heartbreak, Moon avoids gloomy cynicism, perhaps owing to the conceptual quality of the album as a whole:  a kind of reflective “travel” diary, with each song documenting Tolar’s search for answers to The Big Questions in Life, like “why does love have to be so complicated?”

When Moon picks up in pace (on songs like “Along for the Ride”), Tolar proves that contemporary jazz can be sexy, in an unfussy, silk-and-red-wine sort of way, without sacrificing consistency.  Often the inclusion of one or two up-tempo tracks has the adverse effect of disrupting the balance of these mostly-mellow records.  But Moon opts for steady sophistication rather than stylized showiness, which speaks well of Tolar’s self-awareness as an artist and makes for a moving debut album.

Big Blue Moon can be purchased through Sarah Tolar’s official website at www.sarahtolar.com (via CD Baby; direct link:  http://cdbaby.com/cd/sarahtolar).  Tolar will be playing a CD release show at The Canal Room in New York City on April 13.  For more information please visit her website or Myspace.

As you were probably busy watching history being made with our new President being sworn in - these two albums were quietly released that Tuesday.

Willie Breeding-Cheap Vodka Rain Willie Breeding WILLIE BREEDING myspace.com/williebreedingmusic Willie Breeding is a folk/country singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He just released his debut LP, Cheap Vodka Rain last said Tuesday, his only previous recording was for the EP called Grey Skies last December 2006. Cheap Vodka Rain has a very Western/Country sound to it. Perhaps it's Breeding's songwriting style (they all tell some sort of story) or the steel-sounding guitar, but the album should belong to Country pop radio. If you don't like any Country, you may want to avoid this one, but I suspect there's enough good songwriting on the album that people with open minds wouldn't mind checking out. Anyway, the story behind the debut album was that it was recorded live over a two-day session (Oct 24-25, 2007) at the Excello Recordings, with backup band of friends and two members from Marah (whom he toured with for the promotion of his EP), which may have influenced his sound a little. And although I mentioned it only took two days, the recording did not sound rushed or rough at all. The final mix sounds like Breeding took his time to plan and let his band time to learn to play his songs. Some of the highlights from the album includes: "Bruises": backup vocals by his sister, Erin Breeding. Includes the wonderful line: "Would it have killed to come down to kiss me? I was crying over you last night.". "Be Right Here": The tone may sound a little sad, but this song sends out his message that he'll still be right here waiting for you. I think this song could also be paired with his other song, "As Long", which tells you that he'll stay as long as she'll have him. "Cheap Vodka Rain": I think this song would be summarize Breeding's style of music. It's pretty uplifting, but with just a tiny bit of sadness if you read too much into it. Check him out on tour: 01/26/09 Rockwood Music Hall Manhattan, NY 02/02/09 Iota Club & Cafe Arlington, Virginia 02/03/09 The M Room  Philadelphia, PA 02/04/09 Nightlight Chapel Hill 02/05/09 Soapbox Lounge Wilmington, NC 02/06/09 Wherehouse Winston-Salem, NC 02/11/09 Exit In Nashville, Tennessee 02/13/09 Derby City Espresso Louisville, KY 02/22/09 The Living Room Manhattan, NY Cheap Vodka Rain can be purchased via iTunes and amazon.

Modern Skirts - Soft Pedals Modern Skirts MODERN SKIRTS modernskirts.com ♥ myspace.com Since Modern Skirts' debut album, Catalogue of Generous Men in 2005, the band's won numerous praises (Athens Music Awards, Paste Magazine, National Public Radio, etc) - so ultimately the difficult sophomore album had to happen..... So it's been three years, but the official release date for All Of Us In Our Night was last Tuesday (Jan 20th). The band's been kept busy the last year, especially because of their R.E.M. connection (the band went on a two weeks European tour, supporting Athen's most famous band. While most of the album is pretty standard indie pop/rock, there are a good mix of moments of Beach Boys-esque backup singing ("Yugo") and pianos & some faint brass instruments ("Radio Breaks"). I think most people will be drawn to the Mike Mills (of R.E.M.) song, "Motorcade". The song starts off acoustically, before the percussions and backup singing (also by Mills and music producer Geoff Melkonian). The song sounds like it could have been an REM song by the way of Pavement. Although it's an excellent song, that's actually not my song pick - they have an even better one called "Soft Pedals". Maybe it's the loungey background music or the lyrics "give me a knife and a merry-go-round", but there's something really nice about this song that made me replay it again and again. They are currently on tour! 01/29/09 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 01/30/09 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia 01/31/09 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia 02/06/09 Georgia Music Hall of Fame presents Modern Skirts at the Cox Capitol Theatre Macon, Georgia 02/17/09 Circle Bar New Orleans, Louisiana 03/05/09 Odgen Museum New Orleans, LA 03/18/09 SXSW Austin, Texas 03/19/09 SXSW Austin, Texas 03/20/09 SXSW  Austin, Texas 03/21/09 SXSW Austin, Texas 05/16/09 WMNF’s Festival Tampa, Florida Those interested in picking up All of Us in Our Night, you can find it on Athensmusic.net. You can also get their music digitally - notably eMusic.

 01/04/2009 01:10:06  ♥ written by vu ()

School of Seven Bells-Chain School of Seven Bells 3 comments Tour Dates 01/16/09 PR (Self Titled Party w/Free Blood, Juan Maclean (live acid set), & Justin Miller (DFA)) New York, New York 02/06/09 Wellesley College Wellesley, Massachusetts 02/07/09 Terrace F. Club Princeton, New Jersey 02/11/09 7th Street Entry (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Minneapolis, Minnesota 02/12/09 Bottom Lounge (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Chicago, Illinois 02/13/09 Magic Stick (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Detroit 02/14/09 Alfred University Knight Club (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Alfred 02/15/09 Paradise (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Boston, Massachusetts 02/18/09 The Trocadero (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 02/19/09 9:30 Club (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Washington DC, Washington DC 02/23/09 Whelans Dublin, Ireland 02/24/09 Captain’s Rest Glasgow, Scotland 02/25/09 Cockpit Leeds, UK 02/26/09 Cargo London, UK 02/27/09 Night & Day Manchester, UK 02/28/09 Start The Bus Bristol, UK 03/01/09 Audio Brighton, UK 03/04/09 AB Club Brussels, Belgium 03/05/09 Le Point Ephemere Paris, Ile-de-France 03/07/09 Gleis 22 Münster, Germany 03/08/09 Bang Bang Club Berlin, Germany 03/09/09 Molotow Hamburg, Germany 03/10/09 Studio 672 Cologne, Germany 03/12/09 Flex Vienna, Austria 03/13/09 Atomic Cafe Munich, Germany 03/14/09 La Casa Milan, Italy 04/07/09 The Ritz (w/Bat for Lashes) Manchester 04/08/09 Queen Margaret Union (w/Bat for Lashes) Glasgow, Scotland 04/09/09 Stage 2-Northumbria University (w/Bat for Lashes) Newcastle 04/11/09 Metropolitan University (w/Bat for Lashes) Leeds 04/12/09 Birmingham Town Hall (w/Bat for Lashes) Birmingham 04/13/09 The Regal (w/Bat for Lashes) Oxford 04/15/09 Anson Rooms (w/Bat for Lashes) Bristol 04/16/09 Brighton Corn Exchange (w/Bat for Lashes) Brighton 04/17/09 Sheperds Bush Empire (w/Bat for Lashes) London See Also Bat For Lashes http://weheartmus... A friend of mine asked me to check out this errie music video for "What's a Girl To Do" by Bat fo... 1 comment

 10/23/2008 23:03:04  ♥ written by vu ()

 07/05/2008 19:24:36  ♥ written by derek ( / www.pegritz.com)